Christianity has failed to become the world's universal religion but Christmas is well on the way to becoming a universal commercial festival. In Vietnam, a Communist country with a Buddhist traditional culture, Christianity is a minor residue of the French colonial era, but the shops sell Christmas trees, the sales staff wear little red Father Christmas hats and the background music includes crooning versions of Christmas carols. Businesses work hard to promote the event as a shopping bonanza even though the population at large is trying to save its money for the much more popular Tet holiday to follow in the new year.
The vestiges of a Christian presence in Vietnam are manifested in two catholic cathedrals, one in Hanoi and the other in old Saigon, now officially known as Ho Chi Minh City. These were closed for many years but are now open to the public as tourist attractions. And it would appear that religious practice is reviving. An English teacher conducting an online conference was recently informed by one of his students that he was a Christian, a Catholic. When asked where he worshipped, the young man replied that he had a choice of three churches in his town in the south of the country.
According to official estimates, some 7 percent of Vietnam's population is Catholic and another 1 percent is Protestant. Christian communities are reported to be more numerous in central and southern regions, and up to a half of some communities is said to be from 54 ethnic minorities that make up about 14 percent of the total population. Whatever the number of churches, they are overwhelmingly outnumbered by the Buddhist pagodas that everywhere abound. And there is no doubt where official approval lies. A wealthy entrepreneur has over the past decade been authorised to construct what is claimed to be the world's largest pagoda in Ninh Binh Province, some 100 km south of the capital Hanoi.
For most Vietnamese, all they know about Christmas is Santa Claus and festive decorations in the shopping malls. Much of Vietnam enjoys a tropical climate but the natives claim that Hanoi has four seasons. However, the city does not seem to have been located far enough north for the ancestors to have been moved to celebrate the winter solstice. Had they been as concerned as Europeans about the return of the sun, a great December festival might have long preceded the arrival of the Portuguese in the early sixteenth century. It may be regretted that it is only commercial interests that have revived the feast of the winter solstice, but it is an astronomical event that all the world can share.
My novels set in Ghana: The Colonial Gentleman's Son and Return to the Garden City, as well as my children's book: Saint George: Rusty Knight and Monster Tamer, together with many pictures of Ghana and Vietnam are featured on the website http://www.ghanabooksjwp.com and the books are available on amazon at http://www.amazon.co.uk/Return-Garden-City-John-Powell/dp/184624949X/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1442856892&sr=8-1&keywords=Return+to+the+Garden+City and other booksellers.
By
John Powell